Children arrive at kindergarten with a wide range of vocabulary knowledge and understanding of printed language. Some children have all the necessary foundations to begin reading; others need concentrated experiences and focused instruction. Most children at the kindergarten level are considered to be emergent readers. They will continue to make rapid growth in literacy skills if they are exposed to literacy-rich environments and instruction. (Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999)

Children's writing emerges rapidly in this period. They begin to use scribble, nonphonetic letter strings, and drawing as forms of writing. (Snow, et.al. 1998) As children become more proficient writers, they also often go through a period or periods of insisting on “writing it the right way,” asking for conventional spellings. Others simply show their growing awareness of the difference between invented and conventional spelling by the growing numbers and/or categories of words that they spell conventionally. (Sulzby, 1996)

When and how to teach reading has been the subject of endless professional and political controversy. The largest controversy centers around the role of direct instruction and the need to teach decoding skills — “whole language” versus “phonics.” Disregarding the poles at each end of the continuum, there is broad agreement that instruction is necessary, but does not need to begin prior to kindergarten or first grade, and that the instruction should include alphabetic, phonemic, and broader phonological awareness that enable children to decode words.

Burns, M.S, Griffin, P., & Snow, C.E. (Eds.). Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 1999. Available online: http://www.nap.edu/html/sor/

Sulzby, E., & Teale, W. Emergent Literacy. In Barr, R., Kamil, M.L., Mosenthal, P.B., & P.D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 2, pp. 727-757). Mahway, NH: Lawrence Erlbaum. 1996.